Tribute to Storre: A patch of native flora

I only knew Rick Storre from my visits to his nursery and from his column in this paper. He told me how he had suffered from a brain infection and as a consequence had brain surgery. I marveled that he could still run a business and write a column after all that. I have plants from his nursery in my yard and now they will hold a special place in my heart and permanent residence in my garden.

Native plants are often undervalued and treated like weeds. Our local wild bur cucumber, Marah oreganus, is estimated to live 500 years or more, and in my book anything that can outlive humans is worthy of my respect. Our beautiful indigenous Lysichiton americanus with its bold foliage and bright yellow calla-like flowers thrives in deep shady muck where few plants can survive. It's a wonder of nature, but sadly has been saddled with the unfortunate moniker "skunk cabbage" which has doomed it to a status ranging from under appreciated to downright vilification.

Some of the plants I obtained from Rick Storre are: California Buckeye (Aesculus californica), Petasites frigidus var. palmatus known as Western Coltsfoot,( some parts are said to be edible, but always check with an expert before trying something new); also from his nursery Lilium pardalinum and some coast redwoods with foliage of a reddish hue. More and more we are learning the importance and value of our native species and the often destructive nature of invasive species like English ivy.

Rick Storre educated many of us on the importance of our local flora. He struck me as a good, kind man, truly undeserving of such a tragic fate. Which raises the questions: How did someone with Vincent Sanchez's record get a gun? If any well-adjusted individual spent time in jail, would they come out a better person? No! So how can we expect a better outcome for the mentally ill?

Ronald Reagan closed 13 mental hospitals in California and Arnold Schwarzenegger shut down three more, all in an effort to save money, and look at what it has cost. Americans seem to have shifted away from trying to heal and rehabilitate people and have gone to seeking vengeance and punishing others less fortunate. This town is still reeling from the brutal killing of a beloved priest at the hands of a crazed lunatic. These things are happening because we are treating the mentally unstable with 19th century ideas of imprisonment instead of 21st century medicines and technology.

This is a problem that is much bigger than our community, but resolution has to start here and now. Clearly our judicial system is deeply flawed and our laws conflicted. Marijuana brings Humboldt county $400 million a year because it's illegal, so we want to keep it illegal for the revenue but then arrest people for growing it. Some people are given life sentences for growing pot, but Dan White, who killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to seven years in prison and was released after only five years served. How can this possibly make sense to anyone? We need to push for more mental hospitals, and apparently overhaul our entire legal system with special attention to both elected and appointed officials. How many more assaults on this community must we suffer?

Rick Storre was a wonderful asset to Humboldt County, one that can't be replaced. I am deeply saddened by his loss. I hope Eureka will honor him by setting aside a plot of land adorned with our native plants.